Lighting for use in railings, so as to provide light to pathways and footfalls, is known. Historically incandescent lighting had been used. Once more efficient light sources became available generally, such sources were adapted to be used for lighting in railings.
More efficient light sources included fluorescent and halogen-based lighting. Each of those two types carried their own disadvantages, as fluorescent bulbs presented disposal issues related to the inclusion of mercury and other heavy metals, whereas, halogen-based lighting had the capability to create more heat than the incandescent bulbs they replaced.
One of the newest sources of lighting, the LED lamp, combines the advantages of low power usage, low temperature, and long life, Even with these advantages, however, LED lamps as used in railings can suffer from difficulties, including difficulty in installation and difficulty in access for maintenance. One such LED lighting assembly for installation into a handrail is described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,206,953. This product requires the insertion of a retaining element into an opening in the railing, and then inserting a light body into the retaining element. Upon removal, however, under certain conditions the retaining element remains inside the handrail and may be difficult to remove, which could interfere with the installation of a different lighting fixture. Even the two-piece nature of the installation itself may make installation more difficult, with the requirement of handling of multiple parts.
This invention relates to improvements to the apparatus described above and to solutions to some of the problems raised or not solved thereby.